Chickens with a male and female duck! Help!

[lauren3177]

Hello!

This is my first post on here, even though I have been around for several years now (I just got a new account). I have a situation that I need your help with!
Currently, my flock of chickens has dwindled down to 1 rooster, 4 hens.

In an attempt to add to the flock, I am brooding 8 chicks, and 2 ducklings all together. I am LOVING the ducks (new obsession!). I have recently vent sexed the ducklings, and it looks like we have one drake and one duck. I am very concerned about this. Knowing that drakes and chickens should not really be together, I will have so sell him. This would leave me with ONE duck, and 13 chickens.

Is this a bad thing? I am worried, because I know that ducks need other ducks. I also know that after growing up with a duck, separating them would be devastating.
Should I get 2 new ducks (not exactly what I prefer), get rid of the boy before they get attached, keep both ducks, or see how the separation goes?

Unfortunately, I feel that the best option would be to go ahead and get 2 more, to prevent myself from having a lonely duck after ridding myself of the drake.

Any suggestions??

 

[Anasenes]

When I first got chickens I had a flock of 9 and ended up with 7 hens/2 roosters. My dads friend made a deal with my dad so that wed get another hen, but we had to take his duck too, which in my luck, turned out to be a drake.

At first I had them all together in my run and I was watching closely, and as soon as the duck tried stuff with the hens I took the duck out. He would live outside the run during the day and inside a small run that was inside the big run during the night. I ended up getting rid of him shortly before winter because I worried about him in the snow.

I got two more ducks later on though and after they were about 7 months old the female got carried off by a fox. The drake did pretty good on his own, I free ranged my whole flock (15-20 birds big at that time with 2 different roosters). One day the drake got chased by a rooster to the road and got hit by a car.

All that being said, in my experiences, ducks do pretty well on their own. But I'd suggest getting another female just as company if you could for I have not had a lone duck for more than half a year. If you didn't want to start two more chicks you could look at your local craigslist and/or facebook market place and those sorts, just beware some people sell their ducks claiming them all to be female when theres also drakes mixed in.

 

[aart]

Any suggestions??

Start building a duck coop and run.
Separate the ducks once they get close to sexual maturity.
How do you plan on integrating the youngsters with your existing flock?

 

[chickens really]

Not all Drakes will try and breed chickens. Just keep watching them.

 

[lauren3177]

How do you plan on integrating the youngsters with your existing flock?

I ended up getting two more ducks, I believe at least one is a female. I will be selling any males and keeping females in order to be able to integrate them into the chicken flock.

As far as integrating them, I am planning on getting a second temporary coop/run area and put the chicks/ducks in brooding right next to my existing flock for a few weeks. Once all chickens are fully matured, I will integrate the whole flock. Hope it goes as smoothly as it sounds.

 

[lauren3177]

All that being said, in my experiences, ducks do pretty well on their own. But I'd suggest getting another female just as company if you could for I have not had a lone duck for more than half a year. If you didn't want to start two more chicks you could look at your local craigslist and/or facebook market place and those sorts, just beware some people sell their ducks claiming them all to be female when theres also drakes mixed in.

Thanks for the advice! I ended up getting two more.

 

[Bert96746]

I have 4 hens, 6 chicks in the brooder, 2 drakes(pekin and rouen), and 1 girl duck(khaki). The drakes want absolutely nothing to do with my chickens. The rouen and khaki are for sure a power couple and the pekin acts almost like their body guard lol. If the chickens get too close to Louise(khaki) the boys charge at them to scare them away lol.